Life and Death
This story was written by the amazing Feathertail (Sorry to brag) For Cinder's Contest! When one is in peril, the other is in pain.. Press This For Allegiances Chapter 1 I peeked out of the nursery. My father, Troutwing was padding towards me and my sisters, Blisskit and Ravenkit. And I'm Icekit, that is! I'm 6 moons old aready! Foxstar has to make me an apprentice now! "Troutwing!" Blisskit squealed. "Aren't you going to get Birdsun?" Birdsun is my mother. A dog got her yesterday, and she looked really hurt. "She's slowly getting weaker," Troutwing mewed, a hint of sadness in his mew. "I'm not sure she'll make it for your ceremony." "Wev'e cleaned our nest and our fur!" I pointed out. "How can she miss it?" Troutwing shook his broad, blue-grey head. "She'll be watching from Yewberry's den." I bowed my head sadly. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the ShadowRock for a Clan meeting!" Yes! It's really gonna happen! "It is time for 4 of our kits to become apprentices," Foxstar mewed. "Blisskit, Ravenkit, Icekit and Berrykit." Huh! Berrykit! That typical buzzard-brain's becoming an apprentice as well? "You can do this," Berrykit's mother, Cloudmottle urged. "Bet your ''mother can't ''encourage ''you!" Berrykit hissed as he stalked past us. "Bet yours isn't brave enough to survive dog attacks!" Ravenkit shot back. I sighed. "Berrykit, please come forward," Foxstar mewed to his son. Yes, Berrykit is Foxstar's son. "From this day onwards, you shall be known as Berrypaw. Cedarfoot will be your mentor." "Berrypaw! Berrypaw! I rolled my eyes and mouthed a chant. No way I'm cheering for that idiot. "Blisskit, please come forward," Foxstar continued, flicking his tail. Blisskit excitedly bounced towards her leader. "From this day onwards, you shall be known as Blisspaw. Dawnspeckle will be your mentor." After Ravenkit's (now Ravenpaw) ceremony (her mentor was Cinderflame), it was my turn. "And your mentor will be me myself, Icepaw," Foxstar leapt off the ShadowRock and pressed his nose up against mine. I pressed mine back. "Wow, lucky!" Blisspaw mewed in my ear. "Yeah! Foxstar mentoring you himself!" Ravenpaw added. I blushed. "Don't you have mentors to look after you now?" "I wanna tell Birdsun!" Ravenpaw yowled, barreling through a crowd of cats to go to the medicine den. I breathed slowly, realising Foxstar was comming towards me. "Shall we train?" Foxstar mewed. "I wanna wait for Ravenpaw, is that okay?" I asked. "Yes, very well," Foxstar wrapped his paws with his tail. "I'll be here waiting." I forgot Blisspaw was behind me. "Why's Ravenpaw taking so lo-" "Guys!" Ravenpaw's face was dressed with a worried and horrified look. "Come quickly!" Dashing side by side to the medicine den, I froze in horror. Birdsun was lying in her nest, with blood coming out of her flanks. "Is she-?" I gasped. "I couldn't save her," Yewberry mewed guiltily. "She's dead." Chapter 2 "No!" I wailed, tears comng out of my eyes. "Birdsun!" Blisspaw wailed in grief. "No!" Ravenpaw stood very still, though I could tell that she was close to tearing off her fur. "What's going on h-" Troutwing's mew was cut off. Mt father's eyes went as wide as an owl's. "Birdsun," he mewed at last. "No. This isn't happening." "I'm so sorry, Troutwing," Yewberry's eyes were glazed with guilt. Before I knew it, Troutwing had his claws unsheathed and was attacking Yewberry. "How could you?!" he yowled. "How could you not save her?! How could you, brother!" "I'm sorry!" Yewberry's yowl was loud. "I'm sorry!" Troutwing backed off. "I'm sorry I attacked you," he murmured. "Icepaw?" I turned around. Foxstar's brilliant green eyes were staring at my blue ones. He shouldered his way until he reached me. Seeing Birdsun's lifeless body, he mewed to me, "I'm so sorry." "Her loss affects the whole Clan," Yewberry's head was bowed. He didn't even bother treating to the bite on his paw, made by Troutwing. I gulped down the lump in my throat. Lionpelt, an elder, had come in to bring out Birdsun's body. I walked out with the battered old tom. "She didn't even see us becoming apprentices," Blisspaw mewed. "Why did she have to die?" I wailed. "Stupid dog! Stupid coincidence!" I raised my head and yowled my grief to the sky. "Hush, it'll be okay," Foxstar pressed his flank onto mine. I pushed it away. "It'll never be okay ever again! What's your problem?!" "Icepaw!" Troutwing silenced me with a sad flick of his tail. "Apologize to Foxstar, ''right now!" "It's alright," Foxstar's eyes were glazed with sorrow. "I know how hard it is to lose a loved one." I looked up, feeling water on my head. It was raining. "Great way to start the day," I grumbled. "Go get a nest, Icepaw," Foxstar ordered. "Save your grief for later." Padding to the apprentices' den, I felt a flank brush onto mine. "Are you okay?" a brown tabby she-cat asked me. I identified her as Fernpaw - one of my best friends when I was in the nursery. "Y-Yes," I replied. I gazed into her brilliant blue eyes. "Thanks." She's so beautiful... "I made you a nest!" Fernpaw declared, pouncing up and down for a few heartbeats. "Really?" I gasped. "Thank you so much!" "No problem!" Fernpaw replied with a smile on her face. She skipped into the apprentices' den while yowling; "We're denmates, remember?" I sighed, suddenly feeling happy. I inhaled Fernpaw's sweet scent. Fernpaw wasn't a ShadowClan kit - she was given to ShadowClan because her father in ThunderClan was scared for her; since her mother didn't ask for kits. "She'll kill Fernkit if she stays there!" the ThunderClan tom had fretted. I shook my head and padded into the den.